I was planning this week’s musical post to be on Gotye’s Somebody That I Used to Know OR Yes’s We Can Fly From Here Part I. I was having a hard time making up my mind. Then I saw a parody of Gotye and I was sold. I get to give your Monday a giggle and still spotlight the song. It’s a win-win, well, for you and me, at least.
So, as you can tell, this Monday I wanted to post the Belgian singer Gotye’s hit Somebody That I Used to Know. It’s an off-beat song and it sticks with you. I think Gotye should send a nice fruit basket to Sting since he’s borrowing a little of that icon’s mojo. Once you listen to it, can’t you just imagine Gotye singing Fortress Around Your Heart? Also, while he’s handing out thank-you’s, maybe another one, this time to Peter Gabriel. That video with the make up and body painting is very Gabriel.
Wait, I am making it sound like I don’t like the song. I really do or I wouldn’t be wasting either of our precious time on it. I just couldn’t noticing a couple of things, that’s all.
The performance features a young singer from New Zealand named Kimbra. The second half of the song contains a duet between Kimbra and Gotye which is my favorite part of the piece. I always dig any time when a male and female voice duel or become intertwined in the music. Something about the whole becoming greater than the sum of its parts. It’s why I enjoy Queensryche’s Suite Sister Mary and the Evanescence hit Bring Me To Life. The two voices together achieve a musicality that is better and more compelling than what either voice could do on its own. Take a listen, you’ll see what I mean.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UVNT4wvIGY]
It’s a good song, right? You might even still be humming it. Okay, so NOW, listen to the parody and see what you come away with.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5qx9-WeYlQ&feature=fvst]
Tee-hee, I know, I giggled, too. It’s even more entertaining because the actual song takes itself a bit too seriously. Although, that being said, I’m still downloading it from iTunes. I dig it.
Oh, and the comments over this on YouTube are HYSTERICAL. Speaking of taking things too seriously, lighten up, people. Some fans really have their gym shorts in a huge twist over the parody. Honestly, don’t these twits have anything better to get up in arms about?
Incidentally, Somebody that I Used to Know is on the iTunes charts at #8 as of this posting. Kinda makes you wonder if maybe we should get a band together and record a cover of Mary Had a Little Lamb, doesn’t it?
Musical Mondays- Fun, Quirky Hit or Rip-Off of a Nursery Rhyme???
About the Author
Erika Gardner is a sixth generation San Franciscan of Irish and Basque descent. She attended the University of California at Davis and completed degrees in Medieval History and Biological Sciences.
A lifelong lover of books and a scribbler of many tales from a young age (her first story was completed at age five), she turned to writing full-time in 2025.
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I really like the song, but did not pick up on the melody until hearing the parody. It reminded me a lot of Peter Gabriel. The parody is hilarious. As a matter of music trivia, Baa Baa Black Sheep, ABC and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star all have the same melody, originating from a French folk song, circa 1790. The writer is unknown. Mozart loved it so much, that he created variations on it. So Gotye is not the only copycat here. Unfortunately, Gotye is no Mozart or Peter Gabriel. The rest of his album is mediocre at best.